Sentinel
Sentinel, also known as Sen, is an Immortal Myphym and a potential love interest for the Scrapper. Background Sen was the child of two Immortal Myphym, born towards the end of the rule of the immortals. Their parents arranged to have them made immortal before they knew what that meant; they grew up mostly surrounded by other immortals and largely naive to the political strife brewing outside of their bubble. When they became aware of the extent of the class disparity in their society, they rebelled and mostly cut contact from their parents, but continued to live off of their massive wealth until, when they were about two hundred, the Myphym revolution broke out. Sen managed to escape the bloodshed and went into hiding, but everyone in their extended family was killed, leaving them largely isolated from their Immortal peers. Sen survived the next centuries by blending into Myphym society and hiding their immortal status. When the Myphym made first contact with humanity, they remained on the planet for over a century afterwards, making them one of the last Immortals to leave the planet. The promise of galactic adventure proved too tempting, however, and they finally left the Shoals, in the process reconnecting with the Immortal Myphym in Byto space. It was through the Immortals that Sen met Edifice, a brilliant - but mortal - Myphym scientist. They fell deeply in love, and Edifice began researching the Myphym Immortality procedure. Sen found out about this and confronted Edifice, who claimed they wanted to be with Sen forever - something Sen, in their heart of hearts, did not want. For this and political reasons, Sen anonymously informed on Edifice to the Tendrils of the Revolution, who hunted them down and killed them, leaving Sen to go into stasis. Personality Some Myphym come off as imposing because of their size, but Sen carries themselves in such an understated way that they sometimes go unnoticed in a room. Sen is thoughtful, patient and perceptive, with a quiet kindness that makes them pleasant company even around those suspicious of them for their immortality. Unlike many Immortals they are also politically open-minded, enjoying long, rational chats about political theory and history. They are quite multitalented owing to their advanced age - they have a love for art, design and philosophy, a talent for metalworking, and an expert's knowledge in quantum physics, and seem to always have a hidden talent at the ready for any situation. Their extensive knowledge makes them come off as somewhat patronizing, a fact they seem not to notice (or not to care about). They also tend to become lost in their own head at times, and as such they fail to communicate their needs or wants, especially around strangers and large groups. In the centuries since the fall of the Immortals, Sen has also gained a talent for escape, choosing to hide from problems rather than deal with them head-on, especially if dealing with them means relying on others. In their heart of hearts, Sen enjoys being able to form bonds that they will almost certainly outlast, but they feel terribly guilty about this, as it runs counter to Myphym and galactic cultural mores. They keep people at arm's length because of this guilt, and are nervous about becoming deeply involved with someone. Involvement Towards the beginning of the game, the Scrapper discovers a small, intact ship running on auxiliary power. Inside they find Sen's stasis pod and accidentally open it, awakening them. After this point Sen settles down on their ship near the bar, where they can be encountered most days of the week. If the Scrapper engages with them in conversation and expresses interest in them, they appear interested but are reluctant to reciprocate. After several friendly or flirtatious conversations, Sen asks for the Scrapper's help finding a ship at a set of particular coordinates near Byto space. After they explore it together they are attacked by the Tendrils of the Revolution and work together to escape them. Sen explains their political goals when they return to the Scrapyard, but is reluctant to say more. If the Scrapper has flirted with them up until this point, they explain that they were surprised by how worried they were for the Scrapper, and that they haven't been romantically interested in someone in a long time and need time to think. They leave the player with no explanation for why the Tendrils were chasing them. Sen is absent from the bar for some time after this quest, but if the Scrapper has expressed and reciprocated romantic interest in them, they return to the bar and (if the Scrapper confirms their interest) sleeps with them. Sen still seems reluctant, however, and shuts down whenever the player brings up the Tendrils and their motives - though they become flustered and upset if the Scrapper becomes involved with anyone else. If the Scrapper has only expressed friendship, Sen returns to the bar more quickly and explains coolly that they're "looking into it" whenever the player asks about the incident, though they remain friendly. The Scrapper is interrupted one morning from their work by a member of the Tendrils of the Revolution who has tracked them back to their scrapyard. The Tendril demands that the Scrapper hand Sen over to them, but before the Scrapper can do anything Sen appears and asks if this is about Edifice. At gunpoint from the Tendril, Sen asks the Scrapper to take them to a specific ship deep in Byto space. On the ship, Sen explains the truth: their last lover from two lifetimes ago, Edifice, was a Myphym scientist who tried to become immortal so they could be together forever. Sen didn't want this, but Edifice wouldn't listen to them, so Sen anonymously told the Tendrils about their work, and in the ensuing showdown, Edifice was killed and Sen went into stasis. In the ~400 years since, the Tendrils have forgotten that Sen was the one who ratted Edifice out, and believed them to be trying to recreate Myphym immortality. If romanced, Sen goes into more detail about their relationship with Edifice; if not, they only explain that they were involved with someone who was researching a cure and that they anonymously reported them. Sen shows the Tendril evidence of this on the ship. The Tendril leaves with the promise that they'll be keeping tabs on Sen. If not romanced, Sen thanks the Scrapper for their help, and suggests that they've been holding on to guilt about Edifice for some time, but that now they can move on. If romanced, Sen apologizes for scaring the player and admits that they've been avoiding them. They confess that for 400 years, they have felt guilty about not feeling bad that they'll outlive their partners, and as a result, they haven't let themselves really love someone … until now, with the player. As long as the player can accept that they'll move on from them someday, they'd like to stick around. If the player accepts, they move in and help out with the Scrapyard, slowly learning how to scrap ships from the robot companion and generally helping around the ship. Sen is a monogamous romance and is deeply upset if the Scrapper becomes involved with anyone else, even early in the relationship.